A warranty is kind of like health insurance–you don’t known how much you need it until you do. Unfortunately, most shoppers don’t pay attention to warranties until it’s too late.

It’s important to have a good warranty because repair costs can run into the several hundreds of dollars. And cost can be just one part of a frustrating process to get a broken TV fixed. The experience can be so unpleasant, many just give up and buy a new TV.

That’s why a warranty should factor in to your buying decision. And it’s important to know that not all warranties are created equal. One of the first things you should note about a warranty is its length.

Most manufacturers offer a one-year parts and labor warranty. Some Sony HDTVs come with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. Vizios come with a two year (for sets over 30 inches). Some stores will offer extended warranties, either for free (Costco) or for a substantial fee (Best Buy). Certain credit cards also extend warranties of products purchased with them.

Probably the most important thing to know about a warranty, and the hardest info to find out, is how and where the TV will be fixed. If it is under warranty, most manufacturers will pay to have a local repairman come to diagnose and fix your HDTV. This is more likely to be the case if you have a larger HDTV (bigger than 40 inches). If new parts are needed, the manufacturer will ship them to the repairman, who will install them.

Some manufacturers, like Westinghouse, will fix the TV for free, but will require you to send the TV in to one of their service centers. Shipping costs can run from $50-$200 depending on the size and packaging of your TV.

Extended Warranties

At the cash register, almost all stores will ask if you want to purchase an extended warranty for your HDTV. According to Consumer Reports, extended warranties are generally a waste of money, because:

• Some repairs are covered by the standard manufacturer warranty that comes with the product.
• Products seldom break within the extended-warranty window—after the standard warranty has expired but within the typical two to three years of purchase—our data show.
• When electronics and appliances do break, the repairs, on average, cost about the same as an extended warranty.

Extended warranties are only recommended for individual products that are known for breaking down, and only then when the warranty is cheap and repair costs high. Generally, modern brand-name HDTVs don’t fit this profile. In fact, Consumer Reports found that only 3% of its HDTV owners required repairs for their sets.

The Repair Process

Just because your broken HDTV is under warranty doesn’t mean you won’t have any headaches. The Internet is full of nightmare stories of repairs taking months, and the parts used to fix the television having the same problems as before. If your TV breaks down, you should be prepared to be without a television for a while unless you can get a loaner or have an extra one.

Helpful Links:

LCD Buying Guide: Summary of manufacturer’s warranties

Consumer Reports “Why You Don’t Need an Extended Warranty“

CNET recently reviewed the Panasonic Viera TC-37LZ85 37-inch 1080p LCD and gave it a 6.6 out of 10 (or 3 out of 5 stars) rating. The 37-inch screen size is something new for Panasonic, who was previously known for its plasmas, whose smallest and most popular size was 42 inches.

Reviewer David Katzmaier liked the reproduction of deep blacks in the set, but liked the shadow detail even more. The set delivers good off-angle viewing, and has excellent screen uniformity. It comes with a good range of inputs, including 3 HDMI inuts, two component inputs, and one SD card slot.

Katzmaier didn’t like the inaccurate grayscale that produces a reddish tine to picture. The inability to adjust color temperature is almost inexcusable. The set also lacks a PC input.

Overall, the Panasonic Viear TV-37LX85 is well-priced for its performance, making it a solid value.

Link:

Panasonic Viera TC-37LZ85 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV at Amazon.com

CNET reviews the Panasonic Viera TC-37LZ85

CNET’s David Katzmaier recently reviewed the Panasonic TH-50VX100U 50-inch Plasma and gave it a rating of 8.4 out of 10 (or 4 out of 5 stars). This set is an HDTV monitor marketed by Panasonic’s professional division. It lacks a tuner, speakers, and other extras found on most consumer HDTVs. CNET noted that it was “one of the best-performing televisions we’ve ever reviewed, delivering a picture that approaches that of the current picture quality champion, Pioneer’s Kuro Elite.”

The list price for the TH-50VX100U is $4,995. There is also a 65-inch version of the set, the TH-65VX100U, that goes for $9,995.

CNET found the black levels of the set to be superb, producing excellent shadow detail. They also liked that it handles 1080p/24 sources proerly, and that it has an external scalar mode that can disable all video processing. The set also offers a large range of picture adjustments.

The didn’t like the expensive price tag, inaccurate reproduction of colors, and the scarcity of inputs, with only one component input and no standard def input.

Links:

Official Panasonic page for the Panasonic TH-50VX100U

CNET Review of the Panasonic TG-50VX100U

Costco has the Panasonic DMP-BD35AK Blu-ray player for $199 ($279.99 – $80 instant rebate = $199.99) at their brick and mortar stores. CNET called the DMP-BD35 the “best player for the money” and noted it was the first standalone Blu-ray player to match the essential features of the gold standard Playstation 3. See their video review below.

This is a solid price for a great player, especially with the inclusion of the HDMI cable. Not a bad deal if you missed out on the Sears’ pricing mistake that had it at $149 a couple weeks ago.

Links:

Panasonic DMP-BD35AK at Costco deal discussion at FatWallet.com

CNET’s review of the Panasonic DMP-BD35

Digg.com and Revision3 founder Kevin Rose has been putting together a new home theater system and filming live-streaming videos of himself doing it. So is he going plasma or LCD?

Neither, he’s anchoring his system with an HD projector, the Panasonic PT-AE2000U. The projector delivers a 1080p HD picture at 1500 lumens and a 16,000:1 contrast ratio and is currently going for $2700 on Amazon.com (review of projector). To complement it, he’s mounting a large motorized projector screen on the wall. There seems to be a large window right next to the screen–is he concerned about light washing out the picture?

For a receiver, he’s going with a high-end Denon (model unknown). Connected to it are a Series 3 HD TiVO and an Apple TV.

He didn’t stint on the speakers. He’s got a pair of Klipsch XF-48 floor-standing speakers ($1249 each) along with a Klipsch subwoofer and center channel. His rear speakers were not shown, but with his good friend Jack Buser from Dolby there to help him set things up, I’m sure he’s got things covered. Or is that center speaker doubling for the surround sound duties?

Rough estimated cost of Kevin’s current setup?

Projector: $2700.
Projector screen: $700.
Denon receiver: $1200.
Series 3 HD TiVO: $660.
Klipsch right and left floor standing speaker: $2500 ($1249 each).
Klipsch subwoofer: $500.
Klipsch center speaker: $450.
Apple TV: $330.
Professional installation: free

Total: $9040

Kevin’s Qik videos: 1, 2.

*Update from Kevin* Mr. Rose says he does have the surround sound system, the XF-48 Home Theater System. Also, his Denon Receiver is the AVR-4308CI.

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